Ive been wonderin for sometime how to come up with other chords to use for rhythm along with the essential progression. Such as in "Not Fade Away" Weir will play Up at the 15 fret he will play a G down to F# to E. How do you come up with the right chords to use for spicin up a solid progression. Like there are some tunes like Bertha for example where they stay on the same chord for a while like the C chord in Bertha during verses. I dont wanna just sit there playin that. I wanna spice it up. Is there any theory behind how to add variations or any tips? Thanks in advance guys.

I appreciate the help but thats not quite what im talkin about. Strummin kinda said it with number 3 i think it was. Using chords according to subsequent chord. And also deciding what to use with the time alotted. Like for example Morning Dew toward the end Jerry starts rippin it up with chords. But he doesnt just stick to the simple progression he throws chords in between so he's like walkin up and down with chords. get it? can someone tell me how to go about this?

I am definitely of fan of Jerry's mandolin action strumming in the ending of Dew and others such a NFA. A lot of Jerry's lead chord playing like that comes from the top three strings. What I suggest is a combination of two things.

1. Learn every major, minor, and Dominant 7th chord on the top three strings. Triads. A drill I used to do was start out with D. Play D at the open position down at the second fret with the major 3rd (F#) on the first string. Then play D up at the 5th fret with the 5th (A) on the first string. Then play it up at the 10th fret with the root D on the first string. Do the same for D minor, each time playing the next inversion up the fretboard and seeing what chord tones are on each string. When you do it for the Dominant 7th chords, omit the 5th and play Root, 3rd, and b7. After you are done with D, move on to E and so on. What you will find is that having a great vocab in triads on the first three strings will make both lead lines and chord leads happen all over the place. Also, when playing in a band with two guitar players and a keyboard player, music just sounds much better when the guitar players are both not playing Barre chords all the time. Too muddy.

2. Getting a grip on your theory is essential. Most can play the C major scale. However, most can not harmonize this scale with chords. Jerry and Bobby and all the keys players in the Dead were masters with this and is a major reason why their songs have such a strong sense of melody all over the place. There is a lot of theory here involved, too much to write here, but here is the scale in a nutshell.

C Major scale harmonized in chords

I II III IV V VI VII
C maj, D min, E min, F maj, G 7, Am, Bdim

Now take your NFA jam which is tricky for sometimes the jam is in E major pentatonic and sometimes it has a real E mixolydian feel. The difference being the flat 7. Let's say we are playing it in E mixolydian. Plug in the E 7 for the V chord and you can see why Bobby slides a D chord up to E and not a D minor. This song is maybe not the best example for the moods change so much in the jam, which can change the chords of the scales, but I hope this helps. If in fact this just made things more confusing, my bad. My advice is to lay down a groove in A mixolydian, like Dark Star. Then plug in the formula above and play around with some of the chords and you will get a feel for adding chordal harmony.

Well, in order to do something along the lines of Jerry's "fans" during the Dews, the things to consider are voice leading and target chords. Basically, where are you starting, where do you want to go, and what notes are in betweeen to make it sound smooth? This technique is used all the time in jazz, it's called voice leading, there are numerous books out on it, if you want to pick one up.

You could go chromatically ( step-wise ), say going from D-D#-E-F-F#-G, etc. Another way is to use the differnet inversions of the chord you are playing up and down the neck. Or you could use the scalar harmonization of the key you are in ( I Major-ii minor-iii minor -IV major- V7, etc. ). A ttechnique I like to use is modal chords; using chord shapes made up out of the modal tones of the key you are in. For instance, in Morning Dew, the fan part is over F Major, C major, and E minor, as I play it ( G and E minor casn be subbed for each other; I like the sound of the E minor better ). Take notes that are found in F Ionian, C Lydian, and E Aeolian and make chords out of them. Find common tones in the shapes you come up with them and set up little passing progressions between them.

I've been struggling with exactly those questions- especially when it comes to the long jams where Bob breaks out of the basic verse chords. I sat down and recorded a bunch of videos (5) that cover some theory and attempt to explain some of Bob's thinking about chord construction- voicings, inversions, use of modal theory, etc. the first one is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jnRJ7G0LQU

You guys are all adding enormous contributions that will help many understand the chording and ultimatly play better, but you have to remember this is an Art. You have to have a sence of Art when playing...the feeling deep in your heart and soul. What you want to express. You have to really feel it. Technique has to be coupled with theory and intertwined with your deepest emotions. It's not all theory.